If not for Joe Blanton, the highlight of Monday night’s Royals broadcast may have been Rex Hudler explaining to the folks at home what a koozie is — you put your drink in it, but it’s not a cooler, Rex said.

One of college basketball’s brightest coaches leaving for the NBA is not a Kansas City story in the direct or traditional sense, but there are some ripples here around the Fred Hoiberg news that are worth considering.

Dan Jennings has to know he’s being set up to fail. He is the Marlins’ general manager, and obviously has the trust and respect of awful owner Jeffrey Loria, because now Jennings is also the field manager, and this whole thing is going to be a disaster for a lot of reasons but one in particular that I think is being overlooked in the deserved criticism of Loria.

When Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt started calling a timeout that the Cavs did not have at the end of a tight playoff game Sunday, Cavs assistant and Raytown grad Tyronn Lue had the chutzpah to grab Blatt and make him stop.

So you probably heard that Shane Ray was pulled over and cited early Monday morning on suspicion of possessing fewer than 35 grams of marijuana. People actually think this should drop Ray from a top 10 pick to the third or fourth round?

Video: The Star’s Sam Mellinger talks about the Royals’ 7-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. Lorenzo Cain’s eighth-inning home run was the deciding blow. The Royals can sweep the three-game season-opening series with a win in Thursday’s finale.

The Royals won their season opener in a game that had a week’s worth of storylines, from Mike Moustakas’ debut as a No. 2 hitter to Jeff Samardzija going heel and beaning Lorenzo Cain to the amazing day of Yordano Ventura

The Royals hit fewer home runs than anyone in baseball last year. Their leadoff hitter has a .299 on-base percentage, and their No. 3 hitter had five home runs last year. They employ three closers — four, if Luke Hochevar gets back to his 2013, pre-surgery self — and three Gold Glove winners and at least two more who could.

My lawn is pretty terrible, if you must know. There are random spots of dirt and other stretches where the grass is brown for no apparent reason, like someone spray-painted chunks of grass to make it look like sand. First, if any of you have advice, don’t be shy. Second, my lawn reminds me of Big 12 basketball.

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Aboutthis blog

I've been at the Star since 2000, first covering local high schools, then major league baseball and now the columns since 2010. Kansas City is home to me -- my wife and our crazy dog, too -- and hopefully that helps. I've covered everything from the Super Bowl and Olympics to high school swimming and dirt track racing, always trying to tell the best stories with the best insight. This corner of the internet will be a mix of analysis, serious conversation, nonsense and behind-the-curtain scenes on the best days. Hopefully we can keep it fun and interesting. Thanks for reading.